-PNCR urges environment body
Lindeners are experiencing increased dust emissions from the Bosai Bauxite Company, according to the main opposition party, which is urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take immediate action.
The PNCR said the emissions have reached unbearable levels and are particularly difficult for children and those persons suffering from asthma. In its weekly press statement, the party said: “The PNCR is supportive of and welcomes investment in the bauxite industry. However, it is constrained to state that investment and development must occur in the context of sustainable development which ensures a healthy and safe environment for the people of Linden.” As a result, it called on the government to mandate the EPA to work with Bosai to ensure that the dust pollution is dealt with.
The party said that many Lindeners are also complaining that as a result of the dust they are compelled to spend more on their health and to keep their properties clean at a time when they lack the money. The party said it is aware there is technology and approaches to mining that will significantly reduce and possibly end the present dust menace. It noted that in the past, bauxite companies were required to address the issue and it said it is worrying that neither the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) nor the government has done so.
Last month, EPA Executive Director Doorga Persaud said that the agency is “greatly concerned” about the problem and has been engaging in discussions with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the management of Bosai Minerals Group Guyana Inc to resolve it. In a letter to Stabroek News responding to concerns raised about the situation, Persaud explained that the dust emission in Linden dates back to the early days of the bauxite processing operation. Prior to the privatization of the operation to Cambior, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was done and measures were recommended to be implemented to address the problem. These were outlined in the environmental permit issued to Cambior by the agency. Based on the environmental permit, the company had committed to installing a dust collection system. However, Persaud said Cambior sold the company to Bosai Minerals Group before the system was installed. The responsibility for installing the dust collector system was transferred to the new company, which requested an extension to the timeline for implementation. The agency has always maintained that the dust emission problem needs to be resolved and we have been working with the company to agree on an acceptable timeline for installation.
Persaud said Bosai had initially identified the end of 2009 for the installation of a dust collection system, but the EPA and the GGMC have determined that in light of the seriousness of the situation, there should be a revision of the timeline to ensure an earlier installation. As a result, the company met with the EPA and the GGMC on September 2, 2008 in Linden and it was agreed that the timeline should be revised. The company had until September 12, 2008 to submit the required revision, and the company will have to comply with it and proceed with installation of the EPA and GGMC deemed it acceptable. Persaud also said that in the interim the agency informed the company that measures must be implemented to alleviate the problem. The company has indicated that some measures are already being implemented, while work has begun on the development of a dust collector system though a timeline has not yet agreed upon.
Persaud also noted that if the company fails to comply with the EPA’s recommendations and requirements it could face penalties, under the Environmental Protection Act.
